Mom is in a memory care facility. She is very frail and is often confused and forgetful. Twice in the past she may have been hit by a couple of residents. These incidents were not witnessed by anyone else. Director stated we cannot know what actually happened.
Now another resident hit he with his open hand, in front of my sister and other witnesses.
I live in another state and have her medical POA.
I have waited a couple of days for a report of what happened and what they plan to do to prevent this from happening again.
Mom has been there about 18 month. I wonder if I should move her to another facility. Beyond these three incidents, we have been satisfied with the facility and staff.
There is supposed to be staff at the memory care to prevent violence against other residents from happening. Director says they can't be "sure" what happened, my a$$. Here's one thing that you can be sure of. The memory care does not have enough security staff (or likely any) to patrol and watch the areas where the residents have access to. They also do not have cameras in the common areas. There should be security footage that will show exactly what happened. The fact that your mother was assaulted right in front of you is pretty strong evidence of the facility's gross incompetence as far as safety and security measures go.
You should talk to a personal injury lawyer about a potential lawsuit being brought against the facility. There are two kinds of people who get a care facility to clean up its act. Those people are Ombudsmans and lawyers.
I’ve been in many facilities, and can say most are the same. Best to have in home caregiving.
most facilities have a RN, but from what I saw most are paid to keep their mouth shut.
Medical POA means you carry out Moms wishes. You talk to the doctors and nurses concerning medical treatment. If a procedure has to be done not covered in the Medical POA, then you decide based on "what would Mom want". But, IMO, Mom getting slapped by a fellow resident could be handled by the Financial POA since that person is paying the bills and should be responsible in transferring Mom. Your sister could have filed a complaint being a witness and called the police. A resident hitting other residents should not be allowed.
However, the facility is responsible and I wonder if calling the police could help with ensuring that the care facility protects the residents, including the one who has become violent.